All NHS staff in England should be given basic training in how to take responsibility for their own health and wellbeing, in a bid to cut sickness absence and make the NHS better value for money, advises an interim review for the Department of Health.

The report, which is based on interviews with 11 000 NHS employees, was drawn up by an independent occupational health adviser, Dr Steve Boorman, as part of the government’s response to Dame Carol Black’s report Working For a Healthier Tomorrow, published in March last year (BMJ 2008;336:631, doi:10.1136/bmj.39524.523403.DB).

It shows that the NHS workforce has relatively high levels of sickness …